New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-12
LORDS OF FINANCE.
FAMILY BECOME AN INSTITUTION.


This country during the last quarter OF century
has fami,iarized the American people with zoe
,rora millionaire to such an extent that nc"
fern expressing still ampler riches may peiolo
long become necessary the signincahce "'
formerly attached 70 all mention oil tue houso -
Rothschid has not ceased to eXist. II ''o WV"
does not now regard these princes OIL hua"oo WV"
tho Facilitated attention caused Dy 'heT lo'ooii0
rice and the extent of their Dotoriety at the 'io
when they literally exercised financial sway oF"i
rnrone II still cherishes lively interest in the
fortunes of the remarkable family which has hob
only accumulated so fabulous wealth but mas
succeeded in preserving and increasing 1t despiso
the most keen and relentless competition Ine
author Of tins volume has chosen a suoJccV suAo
20 i,ferest the general reader and IL nc mas poon
unable 10 set forth minute and deOaheu his'oiS
Of the RofhschIlds as popular CURIOSITY wo"'u w
maud IL is because the objects Of so worlu-wiie
scutiny have steadily refused to 1nrhlsh any III
formation concerning themselves. and nave ""en
solicited, even denied the existence oi i'1iiiJ
archives It -. =.
The ouein of the fortunes OF the iamly Is
already clonaed by legendary ms's. Nh Reeves
80 ho,b the febulous account of the ear chment
% tho fonnder of the house, May Amschel hoths-
ob,ld and what he regards as the true account
,rh,cb IL much less dramatic and picturesque. IL
vas To the Landgrave Of Hesse that Mayer Ans
scbel. whose probity gave him the by-name OF tne
honest lew" certainly owed the beginning Oh HIS
nrosperIfy Threatened by the French INVASION
the Landgrave eonfded his large fortune 10 hotnS-
ohla and the latter sent it to his son Nathan IN
England Sir Thomas Fowell Bux'on' III H's
memoirs. gives Nathan Rothschild's own accom-,
% the matter "The Prince OF Hesse easel s''u
Rothschild gave my father MS money
vas no time 20 be lost; he sent it to me. had
Y
m such good use that the Prince maze me p'e'0''
90 all his wine and linen" When old MAYER ANS
scbol felt himself dying he summoned nis I'VE SONS
An his bedside and eniOIned upon them 10 remain
faithful 10 their religion, 70 remain untea 10 INC
end. and 10 undertake nothing without nav Hhs
first consulted their mother observe THESE 'hiee
roints he Is reported to have said. "a1d You VIII
coon he reh among the richest and the world VIII
belong 10 you"-a prediction much more nearly lui-
filled than predictions generally are.
The five sons-Anselm MAYER. Solomon. Natnan'
james and Cartoon after his aea'h
tah,sbed a pentarchy." Mr. Reeves
uootlv nuts it. Ansem remained IN
control of the parent house IN Frankfort ana The
,thers founded new branches III Vienna London
Paris and Naples respectively Fr IN thtJ tlme an
+hay mt their hands 10 prosperod Their nndoNp'-
edlv great financial capacity was quutupisu pf
the wise distribution of their forces among tno
capitals of Europe. Whatever happened Hhy-
where a Rothschd was cerraD TO obtain the ear
lest information The house organized spcc"i
bureaus of information ald special means Oh com
municatlon Before the Telegraph they ehp'oSeu
trained pigeons. They always beat the Uo'eru
uent and the pre- in the Transmission OIL l'hpor'"'
news and the perfection of Their system gave them
and enabled them to retain control OF the eA-
changes everywhere. Their success IN managing
Government loans for a long time secured them
,ronopoy of that prof table business, and IL was 30
rnncb more remunerative than any other klnd OF oc
cupaton that they practically confined themselves
70 this branch of "high finance" nntll thr ffehch
Government one day discovered that 1t was possi-
bile 70 float popular loan without this expensive
brokerage and thenceforth the Rothscmi1 mo
nopojy was broken By that time, however they
had grown so rich that no private capiailst auu
no combination Of private capitalists that couia
be cot together was capable OF opposing 'he'r
schemes successfully. Periere. the great banker
had the sharpest struggle OF any one WIN
Them. and proved himself a foeman worthy
of their STEEL In his case, indeed. they
6na,jv concluded to compromise and divide pfohCs'
lint that u the only instance on record I'D winch
they did not give their opponents cause Tor deep
regrets.
MIR. Reeves has no. attempted to follow ont the
creat mo ertakings # which the Rothscailds nave
had charge or which they have originated. 10 90 So
ms he iusfly observes. woud De TO write the hnau-
cial history of Europe during the present century
The house has been foremost IN every important
financial movement l. lent money TO Wellington
10 drive Soult out of Spain; it FURNISHED funds
xvhercwith TO equip the armies that overcame Ma
ro,eon at Waterloo; it saved more than one French
Administration from collapse; 1T was the rlgn'
hand of Louis Philippe; it helped the Second Ed
nire. 1t nut IN Disraeis hands the coin With
which England purchased control of tine Sue2
Canal: il made advances TO Austria; II
assisted Germany when the Franco-Germah wal
was over 1t took charge of the payment OF tne
Indemnity; il guaranteed to the Emperor VI
Germany the STABILITY OF the European exchanges
durinp that critical period It's superior sagacI,
and ,mportaot connections were out at the service
of the United states in the funding OF the Naeoha
6eht Clearly TO write a detailed history OF al
these and the many other great operations IN whoi
the Rothschds have been engaged would be U
write the annals of the period But 1t is enough
for general PURPOSES 10 menti the leading episode
In the record of the great house. anu Dir. reeve
having done this, proceeds 10 give great zeal
highly interesting gossip and anecoote aDoue w
heads of the various European branches
Baron Anselm Mayer, the head OF tne trankior
firm. was man of shrewdneSs but great lberaiity
He was fond OF humor. as the following anecdo.
shows :,
Fond Of wit and hunor as he was, Anselm Maye
could recognize and reward wit IN others, even
tae sally was directed against himself VI gu
Occasion man wrote 10 ann. simply saying. " HeI
Baron. send me a thousand guidens-snd Tore
me-" The trevity and essentially Willy charlcte
OF the demand at once struck A9selm Mayer we
in forwarding the sum demanded repiled; " sen
you one thousand gudens-and Fave iorgotte
you"
Herc is story showing his habituation to impo
tunities
One very warm summers day, when Baro
Anscm was entertaining some friends at dinner;
window directly opposite his seat happened 10 d
Enclosed. through the aperture thus lei tnei
presently came lying, during the DESSERT, Rtcko
SO we'll aimed that IL fell right upon the Baron
plate The guest were not unuaturally aston ishe'
but AnseIm Mayer quietly felt 10 hrs pocket, 100
out COLO piece and put il in the cover OF the 81